Jennifer Direen

I have previously worked for TAFE Qld and also in Animal Care in dairy and beef and at vet clinics, beef and horse breeding facilities. I currently live on a working farm where we breed dogs, sheep and horses, and I work fulltime as an animal studies trainer and assessor. I chose CQUniversity purely from convenience but in comparison to anywhere else I have been a student I now would not choose elsewhere if CQU offered the course as the experience as a CQU student has left me feeling supported, cared for and important.

I was hired by CQUniversity in 2019 after completing a Cert II in animal studies via RPL based on my industry experience in animal care and my training and assessment experience. Since working for CQUniversity, opportunities to study have been provided and the experience has been an amazing journey. I teach animal care to entry level students (quite a few are still in high school) forming the foundation for their career in animal care, this leads to roles as zookeepers, vet nurses and veterinary surgeons as well as into livestock care, and jobs in the horse industries. It is a really rewarding job seeing students get employed or move into further study and be able to create amazing lives for themselves.

My first two certificates completed with CQUniversity were necessary for my job as the training and assessment industry requires constant updating of qualifications. Since then, I have also started working on further higher education which is helping me network in the teaching industry and giving me ideas for being better at my job and given me confidence in my instructional design and training and assessment skills.